Educational apparatus



Jan. 25, 1944. P. w. NESBIT 1 EDUCATIONAL APPARQFUS Filed M415. 1942 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Jan. 25, 1944. w, s rr 2,340,251

EDUCATIONAL AP1 ARAT S Filed oct. 15, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 InventorPaw/Z 642527;!

Jan. 25, 1944. P. W. NE'SBIT EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS Filed on. 13, 1942 5Sheets-Sheet s Jan. 25, 1944. w, 3 2,340,251-

EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS Filed Oct. 15. 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 m Inventor QBy Jan. 25, 1944.

P. w. NESBIT EDUCATIONAL ABPARATUS Filed Oct. 13,- 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 5r m m I Pwz 14 Mesz-zz y MM fi/wn Patented Jan. 25, 1944 UNITED STATESPATENT oFFlcE 2,340,251 EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS Paul w. Nesbit, EstesPark, 0010. Application October 13, 1942, Serial No. 461,875

2 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in educationalapparatus, and more particularly to a question and answer machine.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a machine ofthe character stated which will serve to save teachers and otherexaminers the work of correcting examination papers.

Another important object of th invention is to provide a machine whichwill be of considerable value in teaching habits of accuracy and anysubject matter of a factual nature.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an educationalmachine of the character stated wherein the questions can be assortedaccording to difliculty.

Still another important object of th invention is to provide aneducational apparatus of the character stated wherein certain operationstake place automatically.

Other important objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent to the reader of the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a top plan view.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one of the questionand answer cards and a portion of the pusher.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the question card shown in Figure 2, samebeing shown reversed in order to disclose the answer.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the machine.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the machine with the cover plateremoved.

Figure 6 is a front elevational view of the machine.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line1-1 of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view looking at the scorekeeping registers.

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional viewtaken substantially on line 99 ofFigure 5.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, itcan be seen that numeral 5 denotes a housing, from the intermediateportion of the bottom of which rises a shed-like structure 6 dividingthe lower portion of the shell into a correct answer card receivingcompartment 1 and an incorrect answer compartment 8.

The upper portion of the shell 5 is provided with a semi-cylindricalportion 9 which is opposed to a substantially cylindrical tube l0. Atthe opposite side of the tube ID from the portion 9 is an arcuate guideH. The lower end of the guide terminates in spaced relation with re--spect to the lower end of the portion 9, as at l2, to afford an openingthrough which cards can pass to either of the compartments 1 0r 8.

4 At the front of the machine the shell 5 slopes inwardly where it isprovided with a window I3 and then slants upwardly, as at M, and formedto provide a card receiving compartment l5 over which is a window I 6.

Question and answer cards such as are shown in Figures 2 and 3 anddenoted by letter A are stacked in the compartment l5 over a spring H,which of course urges the cards upwardly to a plane coincident with aplate-like pusher I8 and a slot Hi. It will be observed that the top ofthe shell 5 is constructed to accommodate a plate 20 which can beadjusted by a screw 2! to take care of cards of different thicknesses,and also widths, so that the plate 20 can be advanced into the upperportion of the shell, above the tube ID, to the end that it may beadjusted with respect to a raised fulcrum point 22 on said tube I0.

-At the top of the shell 5 is a raised and forwardly curved shield 23and a slot 24 through which the handles 25 of three beveled card guides26 project.

The card guides are adjustable longitudinally on a notched rod 21, andsimilarly adjustable swingable comb-like guard members 28 are mounted ona rod 28 in front of the guides 26 for a purpose to be described.

The pusher I8 is provided with a rolled outer end 29 and laterallydisposed ears 30 at its inner end. A question, as in Figure 2, isprinted on one side of each card A and the answer, as in Figure 3, onthe other side, and said cards are stacked with the question side up forreading through the window I6. Obviously, when the pusher I8 is pulledall the way out of the compartment 15, so that another card can bepushed into position by the spring l1, the ears 30 will rest on thedownturned hooks 3| and become suspended in the position shown in Figure4.

In the shed-like structure 6 are shafts 32, 33 on which are wheels 34and 35 in operative relation with respect to counterwheels 36, 31located on shafts 38, 39. Swingable arms 40, 4| carrying pawls 42, 43are operated by falling cards and these in turn ultimately operate thecounter-v wheels 36, 31, the indicating numerals 45 on which, arevisible through openings 46 in a side wall of the shell, as shown inFigure 8.

The opposite side wall'of the machine is in the form of a removableplate 41, conforming at its edge with the contour of the shell 5, andthis plate has a lock 48 which serves to permit rotation of a keeper 49,operative within the tube I!) (see Figure 5) and behind a flange 50,this flange being formed with notches 5|, 5! through which the endportions of the keeper 49 can be pulled when the lock 48 has beenunlocked and the keeper 49 rotated to the proper position.

As can be seen in Figure 4, the upper portion of the removable plate 41has a lip 410. which rises against or adjacent to the outer end of theheaded end of the rod 21, so that when the removable plate 41 is lockedin place, access to the rod 21, which is removable is not possiblewithout detection. Obviously, the rod 21 is removable so that additionalcard guides may be added depending upon the number of guides needed fora certain set of notched cards.

With respect to the counting mechanism, it is obvious that the counterwheels can be brought together closely so that single Windows orobservation openings may be afforded for complementary wheels.

At this point it can also be seen that the back of the machine isprovided with a window 52 so that the correctly answered cards can beinspected.

It will be seen that the cards A are notched in a certain key manner.

The top of the shell 5 has a key chart 53 showing an arrangement ofletters and numerals in columns.

The cards A are each formed with leading edge notches 54 correspondingin spacing to the column spacing in the key chart 53 of the first threeletters, or numerals, of the answer to the question on the card. Thenotches in rod 21 are spaced along the same in correspondence with thecolumn spacing in the key chart 53, and said rod is arranged in the rearof said chart with the notches opposite said columns. The card guides 26are designed to be selectively set in notches of the rod 21 opposite thecolumns and the notches 54 in the cards A are of the proper width tostraddle said guides. In case two letters, or members, of an answer fallin the same column of the key chart 51, the card is provided with anotch of double width to accept two card guides set side by side. Inoperating the machine, the operator reads the question on the top card Aof the stack through the window l9. He then determines in his mind theanswer to the question and sets the card, guides 26 opposite the columnsin thekey chart 53 containing the first three letters, or numbers, ofhis answer. In the card A shown, two of the first three letters of theanswer, to wit, T and L fall in the same column and the setting of twoof the card guides side by side opposite said column would be required,in the correct answer, for straddling by a double width notch in thecard. The card is next fed forwardly by the pusher l8 out of the slot l9and over the fulcrum point 22 'of the tube II]. If the correct answerhas been determined by the operator, the card guides will have beenselectively set so that the notches in the card A will straddle theguides as the card leaves the slot l9 and further feed of the cardthereby stopped with the card overbalanced on the fulcrum point 22 tofall into a passage way 55 leading to the slot l2 and to subsequentlyfall from the slot into the correct answer card receiving compartment '1striking the lever 4| during its fall in the said compartment to therebycause the counting wheel 35 to count the same.

If the selection of the answer, and setting of the card guides 26, hasbeen incorrect, said card guides 26 will have been set so as to preventat least one of the notches in the card from straddling the same. Inthis event the leading edge the slot I2 and directing said card so thatit falls into the incorrect answer compartment 8 striking the lever 40during its fall and thereby causing the counter wheel 31 to count thecard. When the card guides 26 are set, the guard members 28 are setalong the shaft 28 to be swung rearwardly alongside the guides 26 by thecard and thereby prevent the guides from becoming laterally displacedfrom their setting and as an incident to the leading edge of a cardlifting said guides out of the notches in the rod 21, The guard members28 being swingable by the cards do not interfere with the feed thereof.It will be observed that the cards in passing down one or the other ofthe passageways 55, 56, invert themselves so that the answer sides areup when they reach the compartments 1 and 8, and in this position can beviewed through the windows I3 and 52.

While the foregoing specification sets forth the invention in specificterms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, sizeand materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the claimed as new is:

1. In apparatus of the class described, a stack of cards having notchesin one edge thereof spaced apart along the same difierently in eachcard, a housing having an upper cylindrical part provided with a bottomslot, a fulcrum member in said cylindrical portion forming therewith apair of curved passageways upon opposite sides of the fulcrum member fordirecting cards dropped through said passageways to the slot fromopposite sides thereof, whereby cards fallin through said passagewayswill discharge out of said slot in oppositely inclined paths,respectively, to form separate piles, means to feed cards from saidstack seriatim over said fulcrum member, notched edge foremost, andmeans to overbalance the cards on the fulcrum member to cause the sameto fall into one of said passageways, said last means comprising cardguides settable in the path of feed of the cards to align the same withthe notches in the cards and through engagement with said notcheslimiting feed of the cards, said guides being settable out of alignmentwith said notches to cam the cards dovmwardly from said fulcrum memberinto the other passageway.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a stack of cards having notchesin one edge thereof spaced apart along the same differently in eachcard, a housing having an upper cylindrical part provided with a bottomslot, a fulcrum member in said cylindrical portion forming therewith apair of curved passageways upon opposite sides of the fulcrum member fordirecting cards dropped through said passageways to the slot fromopposite sides thereof, whereby cards falling through said passagewayswill discharge out of invention, what is through engagement with saidnotches limiting feed of the cards, said guides being settable out ofalignment with said notches to cam the cards downwardly from saidfulcrum member into the other passageway, and means operative by thecards discharging from said slot to count the cards discharging in eachof said directions separately.

PAUL W. NESBIT.

